Firearm holster of ballistic material

ABSTRACT

A firearm holster and a method of making the firearm holster is disclosed. The firearm is wholly or partially molded of ballistic material in such a way that a bullet that is discharged into the holster is retained within the holster or deflected so that it doesn&#39;t cause damage to the user of the firearm or other persons or property.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of Provisional PatentApplication 62/390,787 filed on Apr. 11, 2016 and titled FIREARM HOLSTEROF SOLID BALLISTIC MATERIAL THAT RETAINS BULLETS FROM UNINTENTIONALDISCHARGES.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to firearm holsters and morespecifically it relates to a firearm holster of solid (i.e. withoutbreaks or gaps) ballistic material that retains or deflects bullets whena firearm is discharged into the holster.

Currently, firearm users who carry a firearm on their person in aconcealed or non-concealed manner have a number of choices forholstering and carrying their weapon. These options can be made of hardor soft materials. The holster can be designed to be worn outside orinside of the pants. The holster can also be attached to many locationson a user's body using a carrying device, including, for example, abelt, waistband, a vest, chest rig, ankle holster or a shoulder harness.In addition, holsters are often attached to surfaces in locations otherthan on a user's body, such as in a vehicle or on furniture like a desk,shelf, bed, counter or table using a mount or other carrying device.

In the course of inserting or withdrawing the firearm from the holster,it is possible to unintentionally actuate the firearm trigger either bythe user or by a foreign object. This actuation of the trigger createsan unintentional discharge of the weapon. In addition, there aresituations where someone other than the user may attempt to dischargethe firearm through the holster during a struggle. Since the holster isattached to the user's body, this event may cause injury or death to thefirearm user or create collateral damage to other people or objects. Tominimize this type of occurrence, many firearms are designed with safetymechanisms that prohibit the weapon from being discharged, even if thetrigger is pulled. However, the use of a safety mechanism may impair theuser's ability to operate the firearm so the user may choose not toengage the mechanism or disengage it during use. Other firearms inregular use do not even contain such safety mechanisms or have a safetythat can be easily actuated by a foreign object. For these reasons andothers, firearm discharge inside a holster is a serious problem forusers.

One solution to this problem is to purchase a soft firearm holster witha ballistic material insert at the bottom. One problem with thissolution is that the ballistic material is limited to the bottom of theholster and is not present in the entire holster. Thus, the dischargedbullet will only be stopped if the firearm is pointed directly at theinsert at time of unintentional discharge. This may not be effective,however, since most unintentional discharges occur during the insertionor withdrawal of the firearm from the holster during which time thefirearm moves through a range of positions relative to the holster andwon't always be aimed directly at the bottom of the holster. Anotherproblem with this solution is that soft ballistic material isconstructed using seams which do not have the same ballistic propertiesas the non-seamed surfaces. It is possible for the discharged bullet topenetrate the holster if it is struck in one of these seams. Inaddition, soft ballistic material is prone to wear over time that candegrade its ballistic properties, it is bulky and unpractical forserious use because it may impede or come out of the holster when thefirearm is drawn, particularly during quick fast and multiple draws andre-holstering such as occur when a firearm user is in training.

Thus, a need exists for a firearm holster that incorporates ballisticmaterial, is constructed in a seamless manner, and is constructed ofmolded ballistic materials to form a solid holster, i.e. without breaksor gaps. There is a further need for a firearm holster that islightweight and comfortable to carry on a user's body while being sturdyand able to withstand harsh conditions.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a firearm holster which is constructedof ballistic or a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic material insuch a way that a bullet that is discharged into the holster doesn'tcause injury or death to the user of the firearm or to other persons orproperty. In particular, a firearm holster retains the dischargedbullet, or deflects the bullet in a way that minimizes injury, death ordamage to property.

In an embodiment, the invention encompasses a molded firearm holsterincluding one or more sheets of material molded into a cavity forenclosing at least a barrel and trigger area of a firearm, said cavityfurther comprising an opening for receiving the firearm and otherwisehaving no other gaps or openings.

In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a firearm holsterhaving a cavity molded from one or more sheets of material, the cavityincluding a first sidewall; a trigger sidewall adjacent to said firstsidewall; a second sidewall adjacent to said trigger-side sidewall; abarrel sidewall adjacent to both the first and second sidewalls; amuzzle end wall adjacent to the first sidewall, the trigger sidewall,the second sidewall and the barrel sidewall so as to form the moldedcavity having no gaps or openings between the muzzle end wall and any ofthe sidewalls; and one or more support wraps wrapped around the cavity;wherein said cavity retains a bullet when the firearm is dischargedinside the holster.

In either of the above embodiments, at least one of said sheets ofmaterial further comprise a ballistic material. In further embodiments,the ballistic material is ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene(UHMWPE) impregnated with a thermoset composition.

In any of the above embodiments, the one or more sheets furthercomprises one or more sheets of an aramid material or a carbon fibermaterial.

In any of the above embodiments, including mounting hardware forattaching the molded firearm holster to a carrying device or furtherincluding one or more retention mechanisms for retaining the firearm inthe holster.

In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method of making amolded firearm holster including the steps of selecting the one or moresheets of material, at least one of said sheets of material being aballistic material; stacking the one or more sheets in a mold; heatingand molding the one or more sheets to form first half of the moldedfirearm holster with a main sidewall and partial sides on three edges ofthe main sidewall; repeating the selecting, stacking and heating andmolding steps to form a second half of the molded firearm holster with amain sidewall and partial sides on three edges of the main sidewall;nesting the first and second halves of the firearm holster to form thecavity so that the partial sides on the three edges of the first andsecond halves overlap; and heating and molding them together to form themolded firearm holster.

In a further embodiment the method includes a step of using one or morescrews or rivets for securing the first and second halves.

In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method of making afirearm holster including the steps of selecting the one or more sheetsof material, at least one of said sheets of material being a ballisticmaterial; cutting the one or more sheets of material to form a patternso that barrel sidewall is between and attached to the first sidewalland second sidewalls, the muzzle end wall is attached to another edge ofthe barrel sidewall and the trigger sidewall is attached to the oppositeside of the muzzle end wall from the barrel sidewall; heating the one ormore sheets of material to form a plate; folding the plate around a formto create the cavity; cutting one or more support wraps to wrap aroundthe cavity; and fusing the one or more support wraps around the cavityto form the firearm holster.

In a further embodiment the method includes a step of using one or morescrews or rivets for securing the support wraps, wherein the supportwraps further comprise one or more sheets of ballistic material

In either of the above methods, the ballistic material isultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) impregnated with athermoset composition.

In either of the above methods, wherein the ballistic material furthercomprises two or more sheets of material, each comprising a plurality offibers aligned and bonded into a sheet, and an alignment of fibers in afirst sheet is at an angle to an alignment of fibers in an adjacentsheet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of example implementations of the invention will becomeapparent from the description, the claims, and the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a holster according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another side view of a holster according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a manufacturing process of the holster ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a view illustrating an alternative manufacturingprocess of the holster of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are exploded views of an alternative embodiment of theholster of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 depicts a cross-section of alternative embodiment of a holsteraccording to the present invention

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-section of a further embodiment of a holsteraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section top view of a further embodiment of a holsteraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of a further embodiment of a holster accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 11A-11J are a view illustrating a manufacturing process accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to one or more embodiments of theinvention. While the invention will be described with respect to theseembodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limitedto any particular embodiment. On the contrary, the invention includesalternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, in the followingdescription, numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the invention. The invention may be practicedwithout some or all of these specific details. In other instances,well-known structures and principles of operation have not beendescribed in detail to avoid obscuring the invention.

A firearm holster 10 according to the present invention is shown inFIG. 1. Firearm 30 is inserted into cavity 18 of holster 10. Holster 10is constructed of solid ballistic material, i.e. without breaks or gaps,of sufficient strength and durability to capture a bullet fired from thefirearm device 30 for which holster 10 is designed. In an embodiment,holster 10 is made from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene(UHMWPE), for example, Dyneema® or Spectra®. Holster 10 could also bemade from other ballistic materials such as an aramid fiber, forexample, Kevlar®, or from a combination of all of these materials, aswill be explained further below. In addition to ballistic materials, aholster according the present invention may also incorporate metal,carbon fiber, fiberglass, plastic, leather, fabric and other materials.

Holster 10 includes a body sidewall 12, an away sidewall 14, a barrelsidewall 26, a trigger sidewall 24 and a muzzle end wall 16 whichtogether form cavity 18. Cavity 18 encloses firearm 30 when it isinserted into cavity 18. Although sidewalls 12 and 14 have beenidentified as “body side” and “away side,” one of ordinary skill in theart would understand that these roles could be reversed depending, forexample, on where the holster is located. Firearm 30 includes a trigger32, muzzle 34, grip 36 and barrel 38 as would be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art. Although a specific firearm is shown, this ismerely representative. A holster according to the present inventioncould be used with any type of handheld firearm, for example, revolversand pistols. In addition, principles of the invention may be used tofabricate a holster or sheath for a long gun, for example, a rifle or ashotgun.

Body sidewall 12 of holster 10 of FIG. 1 is positioned closest to a userof the holster. Away sidewall 14 is positioned facing away from theuser. The muzzle end wall 16 is positioned between the body sidewall 12and the away sidewall 14. The body side 12, away side 14, barrel side26, trigger side 24 and muzzle end 16 walls are all fixedly attached toeach other as one seamlessly constructed unit to form cavity 18.

Firearm 30 is inserted into the holster 10 such that the muzzle 22 facesmuzzle end wall 16 and grip 36 protrudes from cavity 18. Holster 10 isdesigned so that the firearm trigger 20 is fully contained inside cavity18 when firearm 30 is fully inserted as shown. Holster 10 also includesflanges 20 which are fixedly or removably attached to holster 10.Flanges 20 hold mounting hardware 22 for securing holster 10 to acarrying device (not shown) such as a belt, waistband, vest, chest rigor harness, for example. As pictured, holster 10 and mounting hardware22 are oriented for attaching holster 10 at a waist of a user. Otherlocations may require different orientations and mounting hardware.Also, holster 10 may be secured to many other surfaces, such as in avehicle or to furniture using the appropriate carrying device.

Although a specific design is shown in FIG. 1, one of ordinary skill inthe art would understand that holster 10 could be formed in a variety ofways to accommodate different firearm models or firearms with a varietyof accessories such as flashlights, electronic sights, threaded barrels,muzzle devices, etc.

Another view of holster 10 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. Firearm 30 isinserted into cavity 18 muzzle end first, similarly to FIG. 1 so thatgrip 36 protrudes from cavity 18. FIG. 2 also shows an alternativemounting hardware 28 attached to sidewall 14. Mounting hardware 28 isattached by means of screws 40, although other mechanisms for attachingmounting hardware 28 to holster 10 could be used. Single or multiple (asin FIG. 1) mounting hardware 28 are fixedly or removably attached toholster 10 on either side so that sidewall 14 may correspond to eitherthe away sidewall or the body sidewall 12 of FIG. 1. In an alternativeembodiment of the invention, right and left belt mounting hardware 22 ofFIG. 1 are removably attached to the right and left of the body sideballistic wall 12 of FIG. 1. Mounting hardware 28 is designed tointerface with a belt or with the waistband of the clothing worn by theuser of the invention and is designed to allow the invention to becarried on the external or internal surface of the clothing to which itis attached. In other embodiments of the invention, mounting hardware 28may be designed to interface with a vest or other device worn by theoperator, as well as other surfaces as explained above.

To operate the invention in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2,the firearm user positions holster 10 such that one or more pieces ofmounting hardware 28 are removably attached to the belt or waistband ofthe user. Firearm 30 is fully inserted into holster 10. The user maylater choose to remove the firearm 30 from holster 10. If at any timeduring insertion or withdrawal of firearm 30, the firearm is discharged,the ballistic material of holster 10 captures the bullet and prevents itfrom leaving the interior of the holster 10.

As explained above, a holster 10 according to the present invention isfabricated from ballistic material such as ultra-high-molecular-weightpolyethylene (UHMWPE), for example, Dyneema® or Spectra®. UHMWPE istypically manufactured as fiber. For personal armor applications, suchas bullet-proof vests, the fibers are generally aligned and bonded intosingle ply sheets and pre-impregnated with a matrix such as a thermosetpolymer, for example, a resin, epoxy, plastic, rubber or siliconmaterial. These sheets are then layered in varying angles so as toprovide similar strength in all directions. The number of plies useddetermines the degree of bullet resistance. To control performance andappearance characteristics of the inventive holster, some of the sheetsused in the bonding process may be made of other material, such as anaramid like Kevlar or other materials such as carbon fiber, fiberglass,or cloth, or a combination of any of these, for example. In anembodiment, one or more sheets of UHMWPE are used, depending on thethickness of each sheet and the caliber of firearm for which the holsteris intended.

Diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of the inventive holsteris shown in FIGS. 11A-11I. The general shape of a holster includingsidewalls 12 and 14, trigger sidewall 24, barrel sidewall 26 and muzzleend wall 16 as in FIGS. 1 and 2 is depicted in FIG. 11A. One of ordinaryskill in the art would understand that the inventive holster may becustomized to fit the contours and accessories of a particular firearm.

FIG. 11B depicts a first step in the manufacturing process, where a flatpattern 150 is cut from a plurality of sheets of ballistic or acombination of ballistic and non-ballistic material selected as explainabove. In an embodiment, 11 sheets of UHMWPE are used. The sheets areheated and fused to form a plate. In a next step, pattern 150 is foldedalong lines 152 into the holster of FIG. 11A to form the holster of FIG.11A. A form of aluminum or another metal is used to create the holstershape and during the subsequent fusing steps describe below.

Next, one or more support wraps are added to the basic holster as shownin FIGS. 11C-11G. FIG. 11C shows a barrel side support wrap cut from,for example, three sheets of UHMWPE. It is folded along lines 156 andfused along barrel side 26 as shown in FIG. 11G. In a similar way,support wrap 158 is cut and folded along lines 160 to form a support fora trigger guard area and fused in place as shown in FIG. 11G.

Additional support for the holster is provided by horizontal supportwraps 162 of FIG. 11E and 166 of FIG. 11F. These wraps are cut, foldedalong lines 164 and 168 respectively, and fused in place as shown inFIG. 11G.

As an optional step, additional resistance to bullets discharges intothe holster is provided as described in connection with FIGS. 11H-11J.FIG. 11H depicts a top view of the holster of FIGS. 11A or 11G. FIG. 11Idepicts detail view B of a corner of the holster, between muzzle endwall 16, barrel sidewall 26 and sidewall 14. It is possible that themanufacturing process of FIGS. 11A-11G may result in a very small holein one or more corners of the holster adjacent to the muzzle end wall16. In this situation, one or more patches 170, shown in FIG. 11J, maybe added to the inside or outside of the holster. Although a specificshape is shown, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatany number of sizes and shapes could be used.

A diagram illustrating another manufacturing process of the inventiveholster is shown in FIG. 3. Two half shells 50 and 52 made from aplurality of sheets of ballistic or a combination of ballistic andnon-ballistic material as described above. Half shell 50 includes, forexample, body sidewall 12 and a portion of the adjacent walls 24, 26 and16 of FIG. 1. Complementary half shell 52 includes, for example, awaysidewall 14 and another portion of the adjacent ballistic walls 24, 26and 16 of FIG. 1. Each of half shells 50 and 52 include a portion oftrigger guard 54, as well.

A method a making a holster according to the present invention includesa first step of selecting a plurality of sheets of material to meetperformance objectives as explained above. These sheets arepre-impregnated with resins, polymers or epoxies, for example. Next, theselected sheets are inserted into a heated platen press, for example,and formed into half shells 50 and 52 of FIG. 3. Finally, half shellsare again inserted into a heated platen press, for example, and fusedinto a solid piece. As an alternative, the selected sheets of ballisticor a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic material are fused intoa plate, then formed into half shells 50 and 52 as a separate step.

As depicted, complementary half shell 52 is designed to be slightlysmaller than half shell 50 so that it can be nested into half shell 50.Although FIG. 3 shows complementary half shell 52 as nesting inside halfshell 50, either of them may be smaller than the other. In addition, theportion of barrel sidewall 26 and trigger sidewall 24 in each of halfshells 50 and 52 is designed to have enough width to allow it to beoverlapped when half shells 50 and 52 are nested. After complementaryhalf shell 52 is positioned at the appropriate location inside halfshell 50 to form cavity 18, a subsequent step of the method is a secondheat press operation to fuse the halves together into the solidballistic material holster 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2. Although a general sizeand shape has been depicted in FIG. 3 so as to illustrate amanufacturing technique, one of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that the appearance and contours, for example, of holster ofFIG. 3 could be adjusted to suit a wide varieties of firearms andaccessories. In addition, a holster manufactured according to FIG. 3 mayalso incorporate securing bands as shown in FIG. 11G. Screw, rivets orother reinforcing devices may also be used with holster 10.

An alternative method of manufacturing a holster according to thepresent invention includes the same first step of selection sheets ofballistic or a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic materials.These sheets are heat pressed into shapes corresponding to walls 12,14,16 24 and 26. Each wall is then epoxied to form holster 10.Reinforcing bands are wrapped around holster 10 and fused into place asdescribed in more detail below.

Alternative methods of manufacturing a holster according to the presentinvention are represented in FIG. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4A depicts a grip sidecylinder 60 in which a plurality of sheets of ballistic or a combinationof ballistic and non-ballistic material are overlapped and heat pressedinto a cylinder as described above for FIG. 3. At the same time, agenerally cup-shaped muzzle end wall 64 is formed and fused using a heatpress operation Finally, muzzle end wall 64 is heat pressed ontocylinder 60. In a variation, cylinder 60 can be formed fromcomplementary halves 66 and 68 as shown in FIG. 4B before muzzle endwall 64 is heat pressed onto cylinder 60. This embodiment is similar tothat of FIG. 3 and may also be used with or without securing bands asshown in FIG. 11G. Screw, rivets or other reinforcing devices may alsobe used with the holster. As above, FIG. 4 illustrates a manufacturingtechnique, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that theappearance and contours, for example, of holster of FIG. 4 could beadjusted to suit a wide varieties of firearms and accessories.

Additional features of the invention are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Inthis embodiment, trigger guard 54 of FIG. 3 is not integrally formedwith trigger sidewall 24. Instead complementary half shells 50 and 52have an open area in trigger sidewall 24 as shown. Trigger guard 70 ismade from, for example, plastic, metal or another material andincorporates flange 72. Trigger guard 70 may also be made from ballisticane/or non-ballistic material as described above. Flange 72 extends downinto cavity 18 along trigger sidewall 24 and is mounted using, forexample, screws 74 as shown, or epoxy, or other attachment methods.

In a further embodiment, a band 76 of additional ballistic material maybe fused in place around any of the disclosed holsters to provideadditional strength. This option is depicted in FIG. 5B. Although ahorizontal band encircling the holster is shown, a similar band couldalso be used to reinforce the holster vertically by extending along awaysidewall 12, across muzzle end wall 16 then back up the other side.Bands similar to band 76 may also or alternatively be secured aroundtrigger guard 54 or other locations around the holster.

Additionally, any of the disclosed holsters may be covered withprotective materials including Kevlar, leather, carbon fiber, a mix ofKevlar and carbon fiber. They may also be spray coated with a plastic orepoxy spray, dipped in protective material or enclosed in a plasticmaterial for example, a shell.

Further embodiments of the invention are depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.6 depicts a cross-section of a holster according to the presentinvention. In this embodiment, sides 88 and 82 are located closest to auser of a firearm. Sides 84 and 88 enclose the muzzle end of a firearmwhile sides 88 and 90 are facing away from a user. In this embodiment,sides 80, 82, 84 and 88 are made from a combination of materialsincluding ballistic or a combination of ballistic and non-ballisticmaterial as describe above. Sides 90 and 88, however, can either be madefrom the same combination of ballistic or a combination of ballistic andnon-ballistic materials, or from solely non-ballistic materials such asplastic or metal. In this embodiment, a user is protected from a firearmdischarge inside the holster by the bullet being captured or deflectedby sides 84 and 88 away from the user.

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-section of a further alternative embodiment. Inthis embodiment, sides 92 and 94 are made from ballistic material or acombination of ballistic and non-ballistic material and are locatedadjacent to a user of a firearm. Sides 102 and 100 are similar to sides90 and 88 of FIG. 6. Cup 96 is made from a separate piece of ballisticor a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic material and attached tosides 94 and 100 along line 98 by means of screws, rivets, epoxy, etc.In operation, if a firearm is discharged inside the holster, the bulletis captured in cup 96 which may or may not detach from the holsterdepending on the caliber of the bullet and the strength of the ballisticmaterial. In the embodiment, the bullet is converted into a less lethalprojectile.

Top and side views of a further embodiment of the invention are shown inFIG. 8. In the top view, side 110 is made of a combination of ballisticor a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic materials as describedabove. Side 112 may also be made of the same or similar combination ofmaterials, or of metal or plastic. Line 114 in the side view indicatesan area of overlap of lines 110 and 112. Sides 110 and 112 may beattached with rivets, screws, epoxy, etc.

FIG. 9 depicts a cross-sectional top view of an alternative method ofassembling the holster of FIG. 3. In this view, curved side 120 andstraight sides 124 have a matching recessed flange area 126. The flangesare butted against each other, then additional strips of ballisticmaterial 128 and 130 are fused in the recessed area 126 on either sideof the flanges. A side view of strips 128 and 130 is shown at 134. In afurther embodiment, material 128 and 130 is made from a single longstrip 132 that is folded over into recessed area 126.

FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of theinvention. Sides 136 and 138 are overlapped in area 140 as shown. In thearea of overlap, sides 136 and 138 may be attached by, for example,fusing, screws, rivets or epoxy. All of the walls depicted in FIGS. 9-10are made from ballistic material, a combination of ballistic andnon-ballistic material, or non-ballistic material as explained above.

An advantage of any of the embodiments of FIGS. 6-10 is that, if aholster has been damaged by a firearm discharge, the damaged portion canbe replaced without having to replace the entire holster.

If used and unless otherwise stated, the terms “upper,” “lower,”“front,” “back,” “over,” “under,” and similar such terms are not to beconstrued as limiting the invention to a particular orientation.Instead, these terms are used only on a relative basis.

Numerous alternative implementations of the present invention exist. Forexample, any of the above holsters may also include retention mechanismssuch as straps, inserts, narrow areas for retaining a trigger guard,etc. In addition, a holster according to the present invention may useinserts made of plastic or another material to adapt the holster fordifferent types of firearms. Other materials used for personal armor,such as graphene sheets, may also be used to manufacture a holsteraccording to the present invention. Also, the holster described abovecould be made using additive manufacturing techniques.

The apparatus in one example comprises any (e.g., horizontal, oblique,or vertical) orientation, with the description and figures hereinillustrating one example orientation of the apparatus, for explanatorypurposes.

The steps or operations described herein are just for example. There maybe many variations to these steps or operations without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed ina differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.

Although example implementations of the invention have been depicted anddescribed in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in therelevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, andthe like can be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionand these are therefore considered to be within the scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A molded firearm holster, comprising one or moresheets of material molded into a cavity for enclosing at least a barreland trigger area of a firearm, said cavity further comprising an openingfor receiving the firearm and otherwise having no other gaps oropenings.
 2. The molded firearm holster of claim 1, wherein at least oneof said sheets of material further comprise a ballistic material.
 3. Themolded firearm holster of claim 2, wherein the ballistic material isultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) impregnated with athermoset composition.
 4. The molded firearm holster of claim 2, whereinthe one or more sheets further comprises one or more sheets of an aramidmaterial or a carbon fiber material.
 5. The molded firearm holster ofclaim 2, further comprising mounting hardware for attaching the moldedfirearm holster to a carrying device.
 6. The molded firearm holster ofclaim 2, further comprising one or more retention mechanisms forretaining the firearm in the holster.
 7. A firearm holster, comprising acavity molded from one or more sheets of material, the cavitycomprising: a first sidewall; a trigger sidewall adjacent to said firstsidewall; a second sidewall adjacent to said trigger-side sidewall ; abarrel sidewall adjacent to both the first and second sidewalls; amuzzle end wall adjacent to the first sidewall, the trigger sidewall,the second sidewall and the barrel sidewall so as to form the moldedcavity having no gaps or openings between the muzzle end wall and any ofthe sidewalls; and one or more support wraps wrapped around the cavity;wherein said cavity retains a bullet when the firearm is dischargedinside the holster.
 8. The firearm holster of claim 7, wherein at leastone of said one or more sheets of material further comprise a ballisticmaterial.
 9. The firearm holster of claim 8, wherein the ballisticmaterial is ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)impregnated with a thermoset composition.
 10. The firearm holster ofclaim 8, wherein the plurality of sheets further comprises one or moresheets of an aramid material or a carbon fiber material.
 11. The firearmholster of claim 8, further comprising mounting hardware for attachingthe molded firearm holster to a carrying device.
 12. The molded firearmholster of claim 8, further comprising one or more retention mechanismsfor retaining the firearm in the holster.
 13. A method of making amolded firearm holster according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:selecting the one or more sheets of material, at least one of saidsheets of material being a ballistic material; stacking the one or moresheets in a mold; heating and molding the one or more sheets to formfirst half of the molded firearm holster with a main sidewall andpartial sides on three edges of the main sidewall; repeating theselecting, stacking and heating and molding steps to form a second halfof the molded firearm holster with a main sidewall and partial sides onthree edges of the main sidewall; nesting the first and second halves ofthe firearm holster to form the cavity so that the partial sides on thethree edges of the first and second halves overlap; and heating andmolding them together to form the molded firearm holster.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein the ballistic material isultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) impregnated with athermoset composition.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ballisticmaterial further comprises two or more sheets of material, eachcomprising a plurality of fibers aligned and bonded into a sheet, and analignment of fibers in a first sheet is at an angle to an alignment offibers in an adjacent sheet.
 16. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising one or more screws or rivets for securing the first andsecond halves.
 17. A method of making a firearm holster according toclaim 7, further comprising the steps of: selecting the one or moresheets of material, at least one of said sheets of material being aballistic material; cutting the one or more sheets of material to form apattern so that barrel sidewall is between and attached to the firstsidewall and second sidewalls, the muzzle end wall is attached toanother edge of the barrel sidewall and the trigger sidewall is attachedto the opposite side of the muzzle end wall from the barrel sidewall;heating the one or more sheets of material to form a plate; folding theplate around a form to create the cavity; cutting one or more supportwraps to wrap around the cavity; and fusing the one or more supportwraps around the cavity to form the firearm holster.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the ballistic material is ultra-high-molecular-weightpolyethylene (UHMWPE) impregnated with a thermoset composition.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the ballistic material further comprises aplurality of fibers aligned and bonded into a sheet, and an alignment offibers in a first sheet is at an angle to an alignment of fibers in anadjacent sheet.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising one ormore screws or rivets for securing the support wraps, wherein thesupport wraps further comprise one or more sheets of ballistic material.